“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…” (Galatians 5:22, NIV)
Let’s stop right there. Is it just me, or is it getting ugly out there? Everyone seems angry all of a sudden…and I’m not just talking politics. I recently read the heartbreaking story of a beautiful young girl from Miami who committed suicide while streaming it live on the internet. Thousands watched, many sent messages laughing and mocking her…one person called police. One! How and when did we become so mean?
Kindness has vanished. Do we even know what it is? According to one definition kindness is a behavior marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and concern for others.
In other words, to be kind to someone is to be constructive, cheerful, and concerned…helpful, happy, and hopeful.
God talks a lot about kindness because he, himself, is kind (Titus 3:4). We read that love is kind (1 Cor. 13:4). We’re told to be kind to one another (Eph. 4:32) and even to “clothe ourselves” with kindness (Col. 3:12).
You and I might not be able to change the course of human events, but we can express the kindness of God to the world around us.
So get ready…in March we will all jump on the kindness bandwagon! We’re calling March “Thirty-one Days of Kindness.” I’m asking every Christian who will join us to do one kind act for someone else every day in the month of March. It doesn’t have to be big or expensive…as long as it is constructive, cheerful, and shows concern for someone…as long as it helps, makes happy, and gives hope to someone. Soon, I’ll give you some ideas to prime your kindness pump.
We’ll be talking a lot about it in the weeks to come…I just wanted you to hear about it early and start getting excited. Get your Christian friends to join us. It is going to be great – and the world will be a little better place to live.
Be kind out there!
#thirtyonedaysofkindness
